1111II11111II111111111
UNCLASSIFIED INCOMING
Department of State
Ch, £1
ACTION VO-03
CAIRO 01427 00 OF 02 1007S4Z SHC2729
INFO Loc-00 CA-01 UTED-00 TEDE-B0 IKSE-0B NEA-BB OCS-B3
CAEX-01 SAS-80 /008W
-64AAD2 100755Z /40
R 100711Z FEB B2
FH AtlEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC B377
UNCIAS CAIRO B01427
E.O. 129S8: N/A
TAGS: CVIS, CACS, CPAS, CMGT
SUBJECT: CAIRO CONSULS DISCUSS CHANGES POST 9/11
1. SUMMARY; CONSULAR AND IMMIGRATION OFFICERS FROM
THIRTEEN EMBASSIES BASED IN CAIRO MET RECENTLY AT THE U . S .
EMBASSY TO DISCUSS PROCEDURAL AND WORKLOAD CHANGES SINCE
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. EMBASSIES REPORTED IMMEDIATE DECLINES
IN V I S A APPLICATION NUMBERS BUT A SLOW RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL
LEVELS, AS WELL AS INCREASED CITIZEN REGISTRATION. MANY
REPORTED HEIGHTENED SECURITY SAFEGUARDS AND LONGER W A I T I N G
PERIODS FOR VISA APPLICANTS. END SUMMARY.
2. ON JANUARY 29, 2002, THE CAIRO-BASED INTER-EMBASSY
CONSULAR WORKING GROUP MET TO DISCUSS WORKLOAD AND
PROCEDURAL CHANGES POST 9/11. THIRTY-FOUR REPRESENTATIVES
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, FRANCE- GREECE, GUATEMALA, ITALY-
CO, NETHERLANDS, THE PHILIPPINES, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND.
URKEY AND THE UNITED STATES WERE PRESENT. PARTICIPANTS
WERE ASKED TO SHARE INFORMATION ON C I T I Z E N SERVICES AND V I S A
WORKLOAD AND PROCEDURES IN THE WAKE OF SEPTEMBER 11.
3. IN THE DAYS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF
SEPTEMBER 11, REPRESENTATIVES NOTED INCREASED C I T I Z E N
R E G I S T R A T I O N AND HEIGHTENED C I T I Z E N CONCERN AS WELL AS A
DROP IN TOURIST NUMBERS TO EGYPT. ON THE VISA SIDE,
APPLICATION NUMBERS FOR THE OTHER MAJOR V I S A ISSUERS,
AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, HAVE
SLOWLY RETURNED TO NEAR NORMAL NUMBERS F O L L O W I N G A DRAMATIC
DROP IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 11. OTHER PARTICIPANTS
STATES NOTED LOW NUMBERS IN GENERAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
THE US WHICH IS- FOR EXAMPLE, S T I L L DOWN W% IN JANUARY
COMPARED TO JANUARY 2001.
4. SEVERAL EMBASSIES DESCRIBED MORE STRINGENT VISA
PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS NOW IN PLACE. CANADA HAS R E V I E W E D
ALL APPLICANTS FOR REFUGEE STATUS SINCE 9 / 1 1 AND THE T I M E
TAKEN TO PROCESS VISAS IS LONGER ACROSS THE BOARD DUE TO
BROADER SECURITY CHECKS. AUSTRALIA NOTED THAT NONIMMIGRANT
VISA CLEARANCES ARE DELAYED TO FOURTEEN DAYS- UP FROM THREE
TO SEVEN. THE NETHERLANDS NOTED A MARKED DROP IN V I S A
A P P L I C A T I O N S POST SEPT. 11TH- NOTING THAT MOST OF ITS
APPLICANTS APPLY FOR VISAS TO T R A N S I T THE NETHERLANDS ON
THEIR WAY 10 THE UNITED S T A T E S .
L. ON THE SUBJECT OF IMPROVED DOCUMENT S E C U R I T Y , CANADIAN
PARTICIPANTS NOTED CHANGES IN BOTH THE VISA AND PASSPORT
u
ARENAS: ENHANCED CANADIAN PASSPORT A P P L I C A T I O N CHECKS
LUDt A REVISED AND DETAILED APPLICATION, ON-LINE DATA
I F I C A T I O N W I T H THE PROVINCES, AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
llOHETRIC PILOT PROGRAM USING FACIAL RECOGNITION; AND THE
GOC IS F I N A L L Y MOVING AHEAD ON ITS LONG-PLANNED CHANGE FROM
THE M-\M LANDED IMMIGRANT FORM TO A RESIDENT CARD
INCLUDING PHC1C, BIO DETAILS-AND BIOMETRICS.
,0
TELEGRAM
CAIRO 01427 00 Of 02 1807S4Z
6. US EMBASSY OFFICERS DESCRIBED THE IMMEDIATE AND
DRAMATIC IMPACT OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TRAGEDY ON BOTH VISAS
SKC2729
AND CITIZENS SERVICES FUNCTIONS. VISA SECTION REPS NOTED
AN INITIAL 80%+ DECREASE ill NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATIONS
WITH ONLY LIMITED RECOVERY. FOR EXAMPLE, JANUARY NUMBERS
WERE ONLY 40% OF LAST YEAR'S VOL.UKE. VISA SECTION REPS
NOTED ANOTHER INTERESTING DECREASE MANIFESTED BY DIVERSITY
VISA APPLICANTS - WHERE HISTORICALLY, THESE LOTTERY WINNERS
TURNED UP ALMOST 1-00* OF THE TIME FOR THEIR SCHEDULED
APPOINTMENTS, EMBASSY CAIRO IS NOW SEEING A "NO-SHOW" RATE
Of UP TO 501 FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS ARE
CONTINUING TO PURSUE THEIR APPLICATIONS NORMALLY, HOWEVER. '60
7. POST ALSO REPORTED MORE RIGOROUS APPLICATION PROCESSING
PROCEDURES IN Pi ACE, RESULT INC IN SOME DELAYS FOR
APPLICANTS. INTERESTINGLY, MOST OTHER EMBASSY
REPRESENTATIVES COMMENTED ON THE DIFFICULTY THEY WERE HAVING
DEALING WITH A HOST POPULATION, WHICH OFTEN DECIDES TO
TRAVEL ON SHORT NOTICE, AND IS IMPATIENT WITH VISA
PROCESSING DELAYS. THIS IS A PHENOMENON IS SEE* EOOAILY BY
EMBASSY CAIRO.
8. POST 9/11, ILL EMBASSIES REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE IN BOTH CITIZEN REGISTRATIONS AND CALLS SEEKING
ADVICE FROM THE TRAVELING PUBLIC. MOST REPRESENTATIVES HAD
AT LEAST SOME CITIZENS STRANDED *S A RESULT OF SEPTEMBER
11TH BUT, SINCE MOST TOURISTS TO EGYPT ARE EITHER ON
ORGANIZED TOURS OR FROM THE HIGH END OF THE MARKET, THERE
WAS GOOD SUPPORT FROM TOUR OPERATORS AND LITTLE PANIC. ALL
PARTICIPANTS REPORTED STEEP DECLINES IN TOURIST NUMBERS
SUBSEflUENTLY, HOWEVER. LIKE (AND SOMETIMES IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF) THE US EMBASSY, MISSIONS HELD TOWN HALL MEETINGS, ISSUED
WARDEN MESSAGES AND GENERALLY KEPT IN CONTACT WITH THEIR
C I T I Z E N POPULATIONS.
9. MEXICO AND GUATEMALA BOTH NOTED THEIR GOVERNMENTS'
JOINT COOPERATION TO DETECT VISA APPLICANTS WHOSE ULTIMATE
GOAL IS ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES. MEXICO PROCESSES FEW
NIVS PER MONTH AND ALL ARE CLEARED THROUGH MEXICO CITY.
MEXICO ALSO NOTED THE LARGE NUMBERS OF FRAUDULENT AMERICAN
DOCUMENTS SEEN AT THEIR EMBASSY. THEY ARE REGULARLY IN
TOUGH W I T H EMBASSY CAIRO FOR ADVICE AND GUIDANCE ON THESE
CASES.
IE.THE P H I L I P P I N E S CHARGE SAID THEY RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS
FROM MANILA TO ENSURE EVACUATION PLANS WERE IN PLACE FOR ITS
LARGE EXPATRIATE POPULATION IN THE REGION, NOTING ITS GULF
WAR EXPERIENCE, WHEN OVER 100-008 PHILIPPINO GUEST WORKERS
HAD TO BE EVACUATED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR
MIGRATION THROUGH JORDAN.
11.CONCLUSION: THE GENERAL CONSENSUS Of THE GROUP WAS THAT
THE MEETING HAD BEEN VALUABLE AND KNOWING THE EXPERIENCE OF
DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES WOULD BE HELPFUL IN DETERMINING FUTURE
ACTION. THEY AGREED TO MEET AGAIN IN LATE SPRING TO DISCUSS
FRAUD ISSUES, IN ADDITION, AN EMAIL LIST OF ALL
P A R T I C I P A N T S / M I S S I O N S WAS GENERATED TO ENCOMAGE FURTHER
DISCUSSION AND COOPERATION AND IS BEING SHARED W I T H ALL
PARTICIPANTS. [ND CONCLUSION
WELCH